Carl Craig established Detroit Love in 2014 as a way to represent the rich, diverse heritage of the Detroit techno scene throughout the world. Teaming up with nearly all of the scene's first and second wave mainstays as well as younger torchbearers like
Kyle Hall and
Jay Daniel, he's presented Detroit Love events at clubs and festivals across the globe, connecting international dancefloors with the spirit of the Motor City.
Stacey Pullen mixed the first Detroit Love album in 2018, and the second volume comes from
Craig himself. For the most part, it's an accurate summary of the state of Detroit clubbing in 2019, sounding like a typical night at TV Lounge or a weekend at the annual Movement festival. The mix starts on a grand, somewhat bombastic note with an orchestral version of
Kevin Saunderson's "World of Deep," not dissimilar to
Craig's own Versus album. After launching into the beat, the majority of the mix hinges around steady tech-house, rarely straying from an optimistic, uplifting mood (even considering the sinister undertones of "Rosalie,"
Craig's collaboration with
Green Velvet). Two of the tracks end with a verse which pledges allegiance to the underground, serving as a statement of intent for this whole Detroit Love concept -- it's worldwide and meant to appeal to anyone who appreciates good dance music, but it avoids the crass commercialization of EDM. Without going too over the top, several of the tracks express excitement, from the exuberant vocal interjections of the
Octave One and
Waajeed tracks to the gospel-infused fervor of
Floorplan's remix of
Sophie Lloyd's "Calling Out."
Delano Smith's "Safe Place" is relatively calm and tranquil, but things get a bit wilder and weirder with Ataxia's slightly aggressive "Oblivion" and the trippy, acrobatic "Boss" by
Matthew Dear, under his Brain pseudonym. After flashing back to the '80s with Rhythim Is Rhythim's stone-cold classic "It Is What It Is,"
Craig includes a slice of dark electro from an early Ectomorph EP. Then the program ends with
Cybotron's debut single, "Alleys of Your Mind," as covered by garage rock greats
the Dirtbombs, taken from
Party Store, their severely misunderstood album of Detroit techno covers. The track's presence demonstrates
Craig's willingness to think outside the box, as well as the interconnectedness of the Detroit music scene (and really music in general). ~ Paul Simpson